Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6O-01044

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the support, including funding for local authorities, for displaced people settling in Scotland under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Question reference: S6O-01006

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding the impact on Scotland of recent reports that the UK Government’s Animals Abroad Bill is no longer likely to be introduced.

Question reference: S6O-00918

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the next steps in collating Scotland's Census data.

Question reference: S6W-07365

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the short life working group considering ways to reduce health inequalities through action in primary care.

Reducing health inequalities is a clear priority for the Scottish Government and one of the biggest challenges we face, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Providing people with the right support locally and connecting them to the right services is crucial if we are to improve their wealth and their health.

The SG established a Short Life Working Group (SLWG) in October 2020 in acknowledgement of the key role of Primary Care in relation to tackling inequalities. The purpose of the group was not to conduct an academic or systematic review of the literature but to draw on the expertise of a wide range of stakeholders with extensive experience in this field. The group has also worked closely with an expert reference group of people who have lived experience of suffering the impact of health inequality first hand.

The SLWG’s remit was to identify service improvements and actions specifically for Primary Care to help reduce health inequalities and improve health equity. The report of the Primary Care Health Inequalities SLWG can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804351642 . It makes a series of recommendations which cover a range of short-term and long-terms actions, which will tackle health inequalities and inequity head-on in primary care settings and wider communities. These include actions to improve equalities data in general practice, strengthening the focus of inequalities through the GP contract and a new Enhanced Service for the first time focussed on activating practices’ full potential to proactively support vulnerable people at risk of poor health outcomes.

I intend to give detailed consideration to the recommendations made and implementation options. I also wish to place on record my sincere thanks to the SLWG and the Chance to Change Group, both of whom gave considerable time and energy to this key priority during Covid-19.

Question reference: S6O-00795

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates any disruption to the administration of the forthcoming local government elections as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Question reference: S6O-00759

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding the impact on Scotland, to reports that the UK Government is unable to give a timescale for the roll-out of the second phase of the veterans ID cards scheme.

Question reference: S6O-00733

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to local authorities to help tackle homelessness.

Question reference: S6O-00667

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Police Scotland to tackle cyber crime.

Question reference: S6O-00625

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to hospitality businesses to help mitigate the impact of Brexit.

We are working with sectors on an economy wide basis to help navigate the predictable consequences of leaving the EU.

The hospitality sector, like many sectors who have employed EU nationals as a benefit of free movement, is experiencing recruitment and retention challenges directly linked to EU Exit.

We have supported a recruitment campaign for tourism and hospitality businesses with £100,000 of funding. We also continue to develop recovery plans for the sector that will seek to mitigate the worst impacts of EU Exit alongside pandemic pressures, and continue to press UKG for a workable immigration policy to support our economy.

Question reference: S6O-00641

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the Kirkcaldy constituency have received the new Scottish Child Payment.